Thought about starting my own thread after seeing GreekDrifter's Build Thread and had to start one after seeing Stoker's ReBuild Thread. As an "Homage" to their build and rebuild i am starting my own "ReRebuild" thread of the identical car to theirs! Also perfect because I am the third owner of this vehicle.

So here is Reginald Elisabeth Cooper! or R.E.C. I promise better pictures to come.



Buying:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-mini-buy.html

Todo list:
Upgraded oil cooler - http://www.madnessmotorworks.com/mad...il-cooler.aspx
Fuel Filter - http://www.waymotorworks.com/fuel-fi...0-r53-r52.html https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hange-mcs.html
New thermostat/housing
Rebuilt super charger
Address stiff door opening
Fix Shifter - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ifter-now.html

Upgrades to come:
Skid plate - http://new.minimania.com/part/NMA304...W-manual-Trans
Additional Bracing - http://www.ecstuning.com/ES2635784/
More Poly Bushings - http://www.billswebspace.com/MiniPow...ansInserts.htm
LSD - Looking for input
Spintrix Supercharger - Convinced by this post: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...3-post383.html
Oil Catch can - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ll-how-to.html

Cosmetic Planning
Plasti-dip rims and hood strips
2" lift spacers
Rally light bar
Roof rack
102" Whip antenna
20% rear tints

DONE
-Stainless steel cat back - http://www.waymotorworks.com/stratmo...3-hardtop.html
-Metal expansion tank - http://www.jegs.com/i/Canton-Racing-...0-272/10002/-1
-Super Damper crank pulley - http://www.waymotorworks.com/super-d...ulley-r53.html
-Upgraded Ireland Engineering Camber plates - http://www.waymotorworks.com/ireland...e-r50-r53.html
-New shocks all round Bilstein (not the yellow ones sadly :P )
-New rotors all round - http://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-bra...0-r53-r52.html
-Replace Dipstick - http://www.waymotorworks.com/craven-mini-dipper-ii.html
-Spark plugs/wires
-Coil pack (one terminal corroded)
-Replace intake tube (cracked)
-Magnetic Drain plug
-Seafoam motor & First Oil Change - http://www.waymotorworks.com/oil-cha...3-r52-r50.html - 134k
-127k mile transmission installed - https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...nsmission.html
-Clutch done with transmission - Duralast
-Syncromax Transmission Oil - http://www.billswebspace.com/mcs.htm...nsmissionFluid
-Oil cap and power steering cap o-rings - http://www.billswebspace.com/mcs.htm#R53OilChange
-screw clips for power steering hose (fingers crossed no more leaks)
-High-tone horn was unplugged (low-tone still broke)
-All front ball joints replaced
-Powerflex bushings installed in the front
-Power steering pump replaced under warranty by dealer
-Right side engine mount upgraded to vibra-technics

Abandoned
Valve Drain Plug - http://www.oildrainvalve.net/
-Strut Tower reinforcement plates - Removed when camber plates where done.

Just in case
Cheap shocks - https://brandcarparts.gostorego.com/...ooper_cooper-s
Power steering pump DIY - http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-gen...ump-diy-2.html
http://www.*********************/for...tml#post106203
Window motor - http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-gen...ing-guide.html

 

Reggie pulls to the left when accelerating and right when breaking, so just ordered a bunch of bushings from WayMotor and ECS!

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES2650756/
http://www.waymotorworks.com/powerfl...ll-joints.html

And hopefully hear from dhabutcher about some sway bar bushings!

Going to be following bill's webspace guide
http://www.billswebspace.com/MiniCon...aintenance.htm

 

That's a KickAss looking MINI!!

i just fixed my horn.. Turns out i was missing one.. ")

 

Looks nice but where are those pictures you talked about. I hope they are delayed because you're out motoring all the time.

This is more of a TLC / upkeep than rebuild, but nice to see someone who knows aging cars need good care.

 

Haha!

I wouldn't be surprised if both of mine were gone. We don't remember seeing them when we did the trans at all.

I have been motoring about! Been to and from St. Louis 5 times now.

Indeed, I'm coming from a 1987 Jeep Cherokee Chief. I'm always surprised at the lack of rust on this thing.

 

I bet when you get back in that Jeep, the view is amazing!! When i get back in my Venza, i feel like I'm on stilts..

 

Very nice dude!

 

Oh goodness worse than that, I drove my mother's expedition after our family Christmas party and was waiting for the air traffic controller to give me clearance.

I'm working on getting rid of Lenore sadly... It's a rough brake up process. I'd like to part her out and keep the engine for a future project, but I don't quite have the space for it and money is getting back in style for me.

Not quite as involved as your thread is just yet, but it's getting there!

 

Posting all this a bit late, but finally have time to. I did all four of the front ball joints and upgraded to powerflex bushings from WayMotors

Also upgraded my long dead motor mount to vibra-technics right hand side motor mount.


Took me three freaking days though because my tools kept breaking. It gets really cold when the heat stops coming out!



Pile of parts wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be afterward.

 

I don't think the ball joints were completely shot, but Reggie tracks a bit better now.






Last time we dropped the trans I just reused the gasket, so got a new one this time around.




With the new mount and poly bushings, I might hear a bit more in cabin noise, but I can't tell. If it is more, it's not much at this point. Thinking the run-flats are causing too much noise to begin with, hard to add any more noise.

EDIT:
I do have a P0420 CEL. I was hoping a new manifold gasket would fix it, but it looks like I still have to figure it out.

 

Updated the OP to better reflect everything I've done to it and everything I plan on doing. Looking for feedback on things, better/cheaper options and recommendations.


At the moment, focus is on the CEL and hard/stiff steering.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-steering.html

 

At risk of inviting ridicule ") but wanting to give you an option on the LSD.
Try the Phantom Grip LSD http://www.phantomgrip.com
there's five or six guys in Fresburg with them installed, and a couple of guys with the Quaife and 3 GPs with the OEM LSD. After driving the stock LSD's and the Quaifes (Thanks to those guys) then driving the Phantom's, I really could not tell the difference. they all felt great!! the huge plus on the phantom is, it's $350!! I installed one in my mini and i love it!!

There has been so much discussion regarding this, i don't want to hijack this thread.. i'm just throwing it out there, is all...

 

Yes the OCC on the R53 does work. This is my first winter with it and it was 1/2 full when I checked. I now check it weekly in the cold weather. I've never come across a skid plate for an R53, thanks for the link (but 22lbs?!! I may end up passing on it) Where are you getting the 2" lift for the R53? What suspension are you going to put on (or are you leaving it OEM)?

 

Nonsense! That is exactly why I made the list and asked for input! I would have never found that thing and given the cost makes it all the more appealing. It's not derailing the thread if it's helping me plan what to do next

That's fairly low on the priority list until all the maintenance issues are addressed of course. Although, after getting stuck twice in one day, a limited slip looks more and more appealing. I do worry about the effect on turning radius though. I'm probably never going to race Reggie, but I will have to parallel park.

That's one full paragraph!

What was your OCC full of though? I read some saying that it's filling with water, which sounds more like condensation instead of doing it's job.

Your welcome for the link! MiniMania usually has some of the highest prices on stuff I'm learning, though they have more of what I want. They do also sell an aluminum one if 22lbs sounds a bit much.

coopercrap.com I've read from this thread sells spacers. I don't think I'm going to buy from them though. I'm looking to have something fabricated. I'd like to upgrade the shocks and springs to have more travel/longer length, but finding something that would work is proving to be difficult.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...i-is-done.html

Here is a picture of their spacers:


Look I'm going for:


Shouldn't be too surprising since I'm coming from a Jeep background.

 

Sorry about the paragraph, the iPad app reformatted it all on it's own.

The OCC contents are just what it's there for: to condense the water and oil vapor instead of it gumming up your intercooler and other stuff downline. Previous to having the OCC, you could measure all the oil that came out of my intercooler. During the summer and fall, I didn't collect anything, but now that it's cold out it is there. I'm sold on them for the R53.

The Coopercrap kit is for the R56, not the R53... but I think you know that.
Keep an eye out on that other thread for the "Moby" lift that he's working on for us. I'm planning on doing the Moby lift - but installing it seasonally. We'll see how it works out.

Good luck!

 

I can still do a "one point" U turn on a regular street, if that helps.

 

Someday when I have time I'm going to throw it up on jack stands and check the catalytic converter.


Definitely have been watching the thread! Don't R53 and R56 have the same shocks? I didn't compare part numbers, but I think the rear shocks are the only ones that are different and not by much.
http://www.minitorque.com/forum/f845...pension-19547/

I'm going to worry about it until I do it probably

 

Went to seafoam and change my oil today and found this.



Coolant in oil looks like to me.

 

id hold off on the head gasket issues for now. its cold out and there is going to be a heck of a lot more condensation in the motor now then during warmer days.

take a look and track your coolant level. its pretty normal to have the white gunky stuff during the cold months.

 

Half a can of Seafoam siphoned into the breather and other half into the oil. Smoked heck of a lot more than my jeep did with seafoam!

All looks good with the oil, which begs the question.



Okay, I'm curious now. What is that junk? Coolant level looks to be at the same height as always.

I was chatting with the guy at autozone, and I think he had some honda thing or something, wasn't worried about it at all either.

 

What is that stuff anyway? Why when its cold? Is it impurities, when the oil goes below freezing, separating out?

On another note, are those curly pieces of metal on the oil cap? or water droplets?

 

No, it looked like there was a few metal bits in the tub after I poured the old oil into the jug. Nothing I'm too worried about. Have a magnetic plug in there now from WayMotor's first oil change kit.

The actual water sitting on the cap may have been from the snow that was coming down. The tan/brown junk is what I'm concerned with.

 

its just water mixing in with oil. very normal stuff... ig you have a catch can it will have the same milky substance in it aswell. even if you bring the car up to full operating temp and drive it around a bit it will still be there, not as much as just turning the car on an off( not full warm up) but not a ton either.

it happens to every engine on the planet.

 

oil vapors, as mentioned above get a catch can to suck that out, best thing to do get a baffled catch can connect it to the valve cover and on the other port connect it to the intake so this way the vapors are sucked out of the valve cover and the baffled can keeps the oil from getting into the intake.

 

When I got the power steering pump replaced under warranty they gave me a nice checklist of stuff to work through.



I honestly don't know what they're talking about with the coolant leak. I'm probably due for a new thermostat, but I've never had to put coolant in it and the temp gauge never seems to make it past the halfway point.